Friday, October 19, 2018

Ventura Marathon Goals

Can you believe it?! It's almost time for me to run my NINETEENTH marathon! And that's from the girl who said she would never run one... and didn't start running until she was in her late twenties! BOOM! Anything is possible, right?!

For your viewing pleasure - a gif I made back in 2014 from pictures the hubby snapped of me finishing my FIRST marathon!

Anywho, the Ventura Marathon is on Sunday and I've got some BIG goals I've been chasing down. (PS For all of those who asked, yes, the hubby is running the race, but we aren't planning to run together. He had a KICKBUTT training cycle, but has different goals from me so we will wish each other luck at the start line and see each other once we finish.)

Making my goals public freaks me out every time I do it (because I don't want to put extra pressure on myself by thinking I might let you down by not hitting my goals), but I know you all are in my corner, rooting for me! Normally I do my goals in ascending order, but I feel like that sort of takes the drama out of it, so I am going to switch it up a bit and do it backwards.

Goal D - Cross the finish line healthy and with a smile

This is always a goal of mine. It may be hard to remember in the heat of the moment, but it is important to celebrate finish lines, not just finish times! I am forever grateful for the ability and opportunity that God has given me to be able to toe the line at another race, and making it to the finish line after 26.2 miles healthy and with a smile on my face is no easy task... if you think it is, I challenge you to put your money where your mouth is and try to do it! The distance deserve respect!

Goal C - Sub 4:00

Of my 18 previous marathons, I have only run 7 under 4 hours. Now, don't get me wrong, I wasn't shooting for that as a goal for all of them (most of those races that we over 4 hours were run with friends - where my time on the course is much more important than my time on a clock), but still, the 4:00 mark is a pretty significant one and a great goal to shoot for.

Goal A - Sub 3:25

My current PR (set at the 2017 Chicago Marathon) is 3:25:02. Although I worked with a coach during that training cycle (which meant a more personalized training plan, adjustments for my specific goals, etc), I'm hoping this round will prove to be "successful" as well. (Don't get it twisted, I know a training cycle is not a success only based on a single race performance! Making it to the starting line is a feat in and of itself!) I'd love to believe I am getting better as a runner and am excited to see if that translates to a faster finishing time on race day. I'm planning to give my best and leave it all out on the course come Sunday morning - but we all know there are so many factors at play! #PRorER

Goal MS - Sub 3:20

"Moonshot" - I learned this term from Kelly (who got it from Nike) and I really like it. Shoot for the moon and if you miss, you'll still be amongst the stars, right?! If the stars align, conditions are perfect, and a implement my game plan flawlessly, there is potential that I could run a sub 3:20 marathon. I realize that the Garmin "race predictor" can be WAY off, but the time it shows for my full makes me think that a sub 3:20 race is possible. This breaks down to 7:37/mile pace (or faster) for the 26.2 miles. I was able to hold "race pace" for all of the workouts that required it during training, so I'm hopeful with the additional adrenaline, rested legs, (predicted) cooler temps, etc that this might be a reality... but only time will tell!

So, there you have it... my goals for Sunday morning. The race starts at 6:40am PST, so, with any luck I'll be crossing the finish line at or before 10am... but you'll have to follow me on Instagram (@CarleeMcDot) for up-to-date pictures/ videos to see if that pans out... or wait for a few days to read my race recap when I put it all down on "paper". Wish me luck ;)

1 comment:

I hope that you have a great run! Just run smart and have fun! My money's on you.

I had the 3:20 goal for a long time! I only broke it once and ran a 3:21, 3:22, 3:23, 3:24 and two 3:25s. My NYC goal this year is way slower but that's OK! I'd love to run a 3:45 or better but will be happy with sub 4. Hoping to get back into the sub 3:40s next year if I can.

PS. Signed up again for the Mountains2Beach in May - that's a great race for PRs and BQs if you want to join me!